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Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Space Invaders -- PlayStation -- Review

Space
Invaders

PlayStation

Publisher: Taito

Genre: Slide-and-Shoot, 1 or 2 players (simultaneous).

1997

Description:

First
Contact occurred November 22nd, 1978. It was then that the original Space
Invaders hit the Arcades in the U.S. in full force, wrenching millions of quarters from
gamers' pockets. Wave after wave of alien invaders descended from the heavens
in precise rows, pouring missiles upon an all but helpless Earth. If it weren't
for the experimental Tanks (originally called Laser Bases), which had been
created by our xenophobic government years before, humanity would have fallen
prey to these ominous galactic beings. Guided by the hands of skilled gamers
across the nation, these tanks were instrumental in shooting the aliens out of
the skies. Countless tank pilots lost their lives, but in the end, we won the
battle and Earth returned to a state of (relative) normalcy.

Flash
forward to 1997, and the aliens returned. Just like those in the original
Space Invaders, these aliens, which are colorful and more detailed, begin at the top of the playfield, march in rows
from side to side and descend to the bottom of the screen. Beginning with
Pluto, this new alien invasion is headed for Earth. Luckily, using the wreckage
from the destroyed aliens from the original invasion, the government has been
at work the last couple of decades on a new kind of tank. The new Tank was born
complete with hover capability, multi-adaptive hard-points and an
electromagnetic shielding system powered by a nuclear core.

Your
job in this updated-for-the-'90s version of Space Invaders is to maneuver the
newly designed Tank horizontally along the bottom of the playfield and blast
enemies out of the sky. Each time you destroy a wave of invaders, a new wave
appears. Between stages (planets) you must face a giant boss. There are 13
enemy species and more than 100 levels, including hidden worlds and the
original Space Invaders game. Scoring 50,000 will net you an extra tank. You
can also earn extra tanks in the bonus stage.

Unlike
the original Space Invaders, which consisted of standard slide-and-shoot action
(using a single type of missile), this game is loaded with power-ups. You can
retrieve shields, double shots, timestops and energy boosts from the mother
ship. Destroyed aliens provide vertical blasts, horizontal bursts, diagonal
bursts, swarm missiles, fat lasers, boomerang bombs, acidic clouds and other
powerful weaponry. The original game had bunkers for defense in every wave
while this version offers blockades that appear in some levels. You can shoot
the blockades upwards, into the aliens' path.

Space
Invaders offers a two-player simultaneous mode in which players cooperate
against the aliens, but there is no two-player alternating mode like in the
original.

Review:

Resurrecting
an all-but-dead brand of 2D shooter, that of the slide-and-shoot (from a fixed
horizontal pattern) variety, Space Invaders for the PlayStation is loaded with
potential. As a fan of the original Space Invaders and of retro-gaming in
general, I was eager to get my grubby hands on this disc. Much to my dismay, I
found that the game is not only loaded with potential, it is loaded with flaws
as well--unforgivable flaws, the kind that will turn off even the most
non-discriminating of gamers.

Naturally,
just like most any game from the mid-to-late 1990s, this version of Space
Invaders features a number of weapon power-ups, hidden worlds, and the like. In
theory, these are welcome additions to the original Space Invaders formula. The
problem lies in the power-ups. I like that you must shoot four ships of the
same color (in sequence) in order to acquire a weapon boost, but the power-ups
make the game way too easy, even in the expert level of play. In the original
game, a skilled player might (on a good day) get past 10 or 12 rounds on a
single quarter; I beat this game's more than 100 levels the first day I played
it.

Even
with the color-coded power-ups, Space Invaders for the PlayStation is a
mindless exercise in button smashing. The original game required good aim and a
steady hand to ensure a high score, but this game requires only that the player
be conscious. You'd think that with bosses, bonus rounds and a wide variety of
enemies, just a few of the many things the original game lacked, this version
of Space Invaders would be highly challenging. I can assure you that it is not.
The bosses are very easy to figure out, the bonus rounds (which are all the
same) feature sitting duck flying saucers as targets, and the alien invaders
rarely pose an overwhelming threat.

The
appearance of the final two bosses in Space Invaders will greatly please fans
of the original Arcade game. As you probably guessed, one of the bosses is a
giant-sized invader from the original game. I won't spoil the surprise as to
the identity of the other boss, but those of you who were Arcade rats in the
late 1970s and early 1980s will be floored. Unfortunately, these two special
bosses, like the most of the others in this game, are extremely easy to defeat.

Once
you have beaten Space Invaders, a nicely done port of the original Space
Invaders game becomes available for play. I've already got an excellent and
more varied rendition of the original Space Invaders for my Super Game Boy and
PlayStation 2, so this didn't thrill me as much as it could have. Even so,
unless video games from the early era of gaming make you nauseous, you'll find
yourself playing the "hidden" Arcade version much more than the
updated, feature-heavy version.

For
a more vibrant, challenging and exciting take on an old favorite, try Asteroids
for the PlayStation.

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About Me

A freelance writer, I'm the author of the Classic Home Video Games series, The 100 Greatest Console Video Games: 1977-1987, Encyclopedia of KISS, and other books. I've had articles published in numerous magazines and newspapers, including the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Filmfax, Fangoria, AntiqueWeek, The Writer, Mystery Scene, and more.
Contact me at brettw105 AT sbcglobal.net.